Roger Federer Quotes

June 27, 2016: “Don’t you understand that playing tennis is great fun? I don’t need to win three Slams a year to be content. If the body doesn’t want to do it, if the mind doesn’t want to do it, if my wife doesn’t want me to do it, if my kids don’t like it, I’ll stop tomorrow. Zero problem.”

— Roger Federer, telling The Guardian (UK) about his undying passion for playing big-time tennis..

May 13, 2016: “While he appears the embodiment of calm, collected grace, a man at times humbled to tears, who enjoys nothing more than traveling the ATP circuit with his wife, Mirka, and their four children, there lies within Roger Federer a primordial need: the same ineffable hunger that possesses Tiger and Peyton. ‘When you do something best in life,’ Federer has said, ‘you don't really want to give it up. And for me that is tennis.”

— Tim Struby, in his new “The Natural” profile of Roger Federer in Maxim magazine's April issue.

February 3, 2016: “I talk about it every time, especially at the end of a tournament, how thankful I am for the crowd. It is an incredible run. It’s a big part of why I'm still playing today. I spent a lot of hours on the practice courts, you know, for exactly moments like these where you feel like you’re appreciated, you’re being pushed forward, they want to see you win, and all that. I wish I could have one more chance to play another match here this week, but I don’t. So of course I’m disappointed maybe for parts of my fans and also for myself. Definitely walk away from a place like this and say, I want to come back next year. I want to relive it again. No problem to hit the practice courts. Can’t wait for the next tournament. You know, everything’s easier when you have a crowd like that. I felt that again tonight.”

— Roger Federer, asked about the standing ovations he received at the start of the third set and for hitting a spectacular passing shot to win a super point in the fourth set, and how much that crowd support helped him turn the match around to win the third set of his otherwise decisive 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Australian Open semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic.

December 18, 2015: “I think they are trying their most, but we can do more. Whenever you make the quarter-finals of a tournament, when the points are greater, the money is greater, you should know that you will be tested. I think that would be very clear and simple. And if they keep the tests for longer, I’m all for that, not just weeks and months, years I’m talking about. That’s the way to scare people.”

— Roger Federer, telling The Guardian (UK) that he believes tennis players should undergo more anti-doping tests to ensure the sport does not suffer the problems that have
plunged athletics into crisis.

Feb 26, 2015: “Of course. I’ve had it and ended up losing the match. I don’t think I lost because I was nervous necessarily, but because of the circumstances. During a match, you have a very elevate pulse and you get the shakes sometimes, and you don’t know why that is. Sometimes your legs freeze, so you try to stay in the moment. That’s what I like about sports or tennis. When we get nervous, at least we’re moving and doing something, so we can distract our mind [with] physical effort.”

— Roger Federer, asked by Inside Tennis magazine if he has suffered from his hands shaking or other forms of high anxiety at match point.

Oct 17, 2014: “I haven't had a cramp since ‘99. That was my only time, in Davis Cup, when I was panicky. I was young. I'm very proud of that. Never pulled out. Never had cramps. Never lost very much because of fitness, especially later on in my career where I knew I've put in the hard work. I've done that. I've been very fortunate and clever as well to understand how I need to work, when I need to work. So I'm very happy to have stayed injury free for so long. I hope I can still maintain a few good years on the tour. I really hope so.”

— Roger Federer, healthy and happy at the old tennis age of 33, on his amazingly injury-free career, after he defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 in the semis and Gilles Simon 7-6 (6), 7-6 (2) in the final to capture the Shanghai Rolex Masters for his 23rd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and first in Shanghai.

July 09, 2014: “Winning or losing, it’s always something special and something you’ll remember, even more so when the match was as dramatic as it was today. It’s even more memorable when I see my kids there with my wife and everything. That’s what touched me the most, to be quite honest. The disappointment of the match itself went pretty quickly.”

July 29, 2013: "There will never be a rivalry like ours. Not even that between Borg and McEnroe, despite their different personalities and one being left-handed and the other right-handed. Murray and Djokovic are very similar. Rafa and I are extreme opposites and that's what the fans like so much. Our rivalry isn't over, I'm sure it will be back, I miss it."

— Roger Federer, talking to the Spanish newspaper, Marca, about his storied rivalry with Rafael Nadal.

June 30, 2013: "There was a time where some players didn't believe they could beat the top guys. So maybe there's a little bit of a thing happening at the moment. I'm happy about that, that players believe they can beat the best on the biggest courts in the biggest matches."

— Roger Federer, in the twilight of a phenomenal career highlighted by 17 major titles, almost acknowledging his vulnerability after he suffered a stunning upset loss against No. 116-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon.

May 03, 2013: "Roger has always [been our] top priority. We have launched campaigns in the millions for him and allowed him to promote his sponsors, which is not very common. We are grateful for the time we were allowed to have with him. The thing is very simple: We have made an offer to him, which he refused. We have submitted a second offer, which he has not responded to. We do not normally pay a seven-figure [appearance fee]... We actually speak the same language, but with [Federer's agent Tony] Godsick it's not fun. I've never seen anything like it. I can contact Djokovic or Murray if I want. I have spoken personally with Nadal. But with Roger it's not possible."

— Basel tournament director RogerBrennwald, told the Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger that he and Roger Federer have yet to reach an agreement on his appearance fee for the October tournament after Federer's contract with his hometown tournament, which he played 15 times and won five times, expired last year.

July 10, 2012: "I hope so. God, I've practiced so much that I-you don't want to be worse five years later. I feel I have a great game today. I know how hard it is to pull off those great shots, and I know how easy it is to miss, so I'm more aware of these things. But I'm so happy I'm at the age I am right now because I had such a great run and I know there's still more possible."

— Roger Federer, after winning his seventh Wimbledon and 17th Grand Slam title a month before turning 31, asked if he was a better player today than five years ago.

March 20, 2012: "It is always in my mind still that I can crush anybody. That's not an issue. But I think that is the same for most athletes. If you don't believe you can win tournaments anymore, then you can't do it."

— Roger Federer, who turns 31 in August, confident he can win another major title, before he disposed of archrival Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 and John Isner 7-6, 6-3 to capture the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

November 28, 2011: "I'm shocked every time that I've reached so many finals or won against so many players or whatever record it is. It strikes me and makes me obviously very happy and very proud that I've been able to do it for so many years at the highest of levels."

— Roger Federer, after capturing his sixth Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title, breaking the record he shared with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl.

June 20, 2011: "I know I can beat Novak on any surface; I've done that in the past."

— Roger Federer, scheduled to meet Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, in his quest to win a record-tying seventh Wimbledon title.

May 2, 2011: "You always have to respect Roger. For him to be three in the world is a downgrade, and if you think about that it’s stupid. For me he’s the greatest player ever. Every time he loses, it’s tragic."

December 18, 2010: "I'm not angry. As an athlete ... you should be open to criticism, and you're allowed to be criticized, because not everybody has the same opinion, not everybody likes the same players. The rankings are quite volatile: Today you're 'great,' tomorrow you're 'not,' but then you're 'great' again. It makes for great stories. Now, I always look at the long term and by doing that, obviously, I can stay calm through the storm."

December 1, 2010: "The theory is that if 'hate sells', Rafa vs. Roger just does not possess the ingredients of the tastiest sporting feuds. They're just too damn nice, killing each other with politeness. But isn't that matiness actually what helps make it a completely refreshing rivalry for the ages? Cut out all of the hype and unnecessary posturing and manufactured animosity and just savour only the absolute competitive brilliance of two masters near the peak of their powers."

— Ian Chadband, sports columnist for The Telegraph (UK), on the sublime, friendly rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

December 1, 2010: "The grass is one part, it being at the Holy Grail of tennis is the second one. London, if you see how successful this World Tour Finals is, how successful Wimbledon is, how much tennis is liked in this country - all these things make this a very, very special place to play tennis."

— Roger Federer, telling Reuters what the attraction of having tennis staged at Wimbledon for the 2012 London Olympics is.

April 7 , 2010: "The press started asking questions because a father hasn't won much before, but I am a master at blocking stuff out on the court. The marriage and kids inspire me. My relationship with Mirka was always very strong and intense, and we worried a little that if we have kids, can we keep that? Should we take that step? We decided it's better sooner than later. Hopefully, they can see me play. That was important to Mirka. My life feels very balanced now, and my perspective changed. All of a sudden, I have children depending on me. It's not all about me anymore."

— Roger Federer, on the positive impact his twin daughters have had on him.

March 2, 2010: "There's a responsibility that comes with what we do. We have the [platform] to do more than hit tennis balls."

— Roger Federer, on why he organized a January 17 exhibition, Hit for Haiti, that raised $150,000 for earthquake victims and why he made a humanitarian visit to Ethiopia in February.

February 2, 2009: "In the first moment [afterwards] you're disappointed, you're shocked, you're sad then all of a sudden it overwhelms you. The problem is you can't go in the locker room and just take it easy and take a cold shower. You can't. You're stuck out there. It's the worst feeling."

— Roger Federer, who cried for two minutes during the awards ceremony after losing the five-set Australian Open final, describing the agony of defeat.

December 1, 2008: "When they [court announcers] say, 'This is the world No. 2,' it just doesn't sound right to me because either I'm No. 1 or I'm a grand slam champion. I'm not world No. 2. I just don't like the ring of it when I'm introduced on court because I've been up there for so, so long."

— Roger Federer, wounded by his demotion to No. 2 behind Rafael Nadal and vowing to regain his top spot in 2009.

September 9, 2008: "One thing's for sure. I'm not going to stop at 13. That would be terrible."

— Roger Federer, after demolishing Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 to win his fifth straight U.S. Open and 13th major title.

— Roger Federer, after losing 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 to archrival Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon final to end his five consecutive Big W titles streak as well as his 65-match winning streak on grass.

April 24, 2008: "Now the umpires can hide even more behind these calls. It makes it really hard for us. They tend to now just let us do the work, the tough stuff. They let us get embarrassed, basically."

—Roger Federer, rightly lambasting the inept and unfair implementation of Hawk-Eye electronic line-calling system by means of Player Challenges.

September 25 , 2007: "He has handled everything in his playing career and private life with a lot of class. So many people are intrigued by scandal, but I believe a person with the personality and image like Tim's is much more special."

— Roger Federer with high praise for Englishman Tim Henman who ended his stellar career -- highlighted by reaching the Wimbledon semis four times and a No. 4 singles ranking -- with singles and doubles Davis Cup victories against Croatia.

June 11, 2007: "Rafael played an excellent match and deserved to win." The door's still open. though. The later it comes, the sweeter it will become. I know I can do it now, that's for sure. If anybody can beat Rafa, then it's me"

- Roger Federer, optimistic despite losing for the third straight year to Rafael Nadal at the French Open, the last two times in four-set finals.

May 31, 2007: "I'm not going to beat him every time now. You've got to be able to dominate him on the baseline. Will he allow me to do it again?"

- Roger Federer, with a candid assessment of his clay-court rivalry with Rafael Nadal after beating him for the first time (after five losses) in the Hamburg final to end Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay.

March 15, 2007: "It is very disappointing
that something like this has to happen before you realize
that the system is not going to work. Everybody knows
I was against it in the first place, and I doubt it's
going to happen next year. All I hope is it doesn't
damage the integrity of the game."

- World's No. 1, Roger
Federer, asked to comment on the round-robin fiasco
at The Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas when James Blake
was eliminated, improperly reinstated (according to
the rules) by ATP CEO Etienne de Villiers, and then
eliminated again after protests from the media, fans
and voices as powerful as former world No. 1s Marat
Safin and Lleyton Hewitt.

January 29, 2007: "All these Grand Slams since 2003, that's what, for me, is really scary, how many I've won. I was thinking about it this morning actually when I woke up. Like if somebody would have told me I'd win 10 Grand Slams from mid '03 till today, I never would have thought there was any chance of doing something like that. I would have signed up for just one, you know."

- Roger Federer, humbly
assessing his brilliant career after winning the Australian
Open without losing a set.

June 1, 2006: "Many
people take away things from Sampras because he never
won the French, saying his career was not complete,
which I totally disagree with. I think he had the best
career of any player ever."

 Roger Federer, telling
the Associated Press that he wants to avoid that same
criticism by winning the French Open this fortnight.

April 11, 2005: "Every match
I go into, I'm the huge favorite. I lose a set and it's,
like, crazy."

Roger Federer, whose
2005 match record has grown to a startling 32-1 after
winning the Nasdaq-100 Open.